This–dear readers–is about jewelry. but only in an oblique
fashion. You were lucky enough to have been born privileged. At your
first birthday you were given a tiny garnet ring in pure 10 karat
gold. And your eyes lit up…
and you said what sounded to the untrained ear as gagagooda. But if
your admirers had listened carefully. they would have heard: EUREKA!?
Foisted upon you in a most benevolent manner was the path to your
life’s direction. It started with that garnet ring.
The following year you got a pair of minute stud earrings with real
fake diamonds. The year after. a tiny heart pendant along with a
jewelry box within which to store your treasures. The adventure had
begun.
Rings. Diamonds. Gold. Platinum. Gems of all colors. The jewelry box
began to overflow. You needed a bigger one. And soon. a bigger one
yet. Chains dangled over the edges. You’ve just turned sixteen. And
you’re a stunner. It’s the time of the hormonal reckonings. They’re
after you. They use the bait known to man from time immemorial.
Jewelry.
Gadzooks! They want you and they don’t care what it costs. Penis
erectum no havum consciencium. More jewelry boxes.
Sacks full. Boxes. You marry. He has more money than J. Paul Getty
could have conjured up in his wildest dreams.
Tiffany. Van Cleef. One of those. Two of these. A few of this. A
scad of that.
You have to be fast to get the closet door shut before the gold
oozes out from between the cracks. You get an alarm system. Motion
detectors. Genetic sensors which tell you the name and race and sex
and age and address of all who pass though your hallowed halls.
Your husband looks at you askance. Don’t you have enough? You give
him a withering look of contempt. Enough? Enough? What are you. daft?
Your eyes narrow to slits of greed. We need a new vault. We need a
new system. I’m taking the truck out tomorrow to get more stuff. And
I want a Guardian. I want a Celestial Guardian. I want a Guardian
with a fierce, threatening expression. I want the Celestial Guardian
that protected the temple of Fengxian of the Tang dynasty in ancient
China against demons and evil influences. I want what I want when I
want it.
And so it was said. And so it was done. And your husband got you the
Celestial Guardian. I’ll tell you. when you have money… And time
passed as it was often wont to do. And you kept collecting for that
is who you are and were from birth. And you became calm. And you
lived a serene existence for you now had the Guardian.
And you dear readers. to you I will show the image of the Celestial
Guardian of the temple of Fengxian of the Tang dynasty in ancient
China that turned our collector’s life from frenetic to calm. And
for those of you who are also collectors. may I wish upon you the
same sort of a fierce-faced guardian as the one who to this day
protects The Fortunate One.
Wanna see? You know where.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits. may I
direct you to my home page at http://www.tyler-adam.com where you
will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Current Tidbits. click it. and you will see represented on our
pages an image of the Celestial Guardian that protected the temple of
Fengxian of the Tang dynasty in ancient China.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark